The HDC Fight of the Realms

[The Gate Master]

Originally Posted by bwind22

First thing I'd do is assess the situation completely.

Getting the moped up to the road would waste too much time. Ditching the moped and running down the road seems futile since the gas station is 5 miles away and that would take at least 25 minutes to run, plus I'd be out in the open with no cover.

A very good choice. This was a good decision that bought saved you from making a possibly fatal mistake. Definitely logic and perception points scored here.

Heading for the quarry just seems like it'd be a tremendous waste of time since it seems to be a dead end and there's nothing there but broken down cars and animals, neither of which would really help my situation in the slightest.

Once again, you seemed to make a good choice on one of the locations. However, you neglected to consider the idea of shelter being there, and also you could have thought about the fact that sitting there would make you a bit of a sitting duck. Nevertheless, you scored logic and perception for this.

The Shed/Tool Hut may contain minimal items for self defense purposes, but really, what's a hedge clippers or even a chainsaw going to do against a guy with a shotgun?

Good use of logic, however, any weapon is better than no weapon.

After assessing the situation, I'd scan the ground, looking for a container of some kind. If I can't find one on the ground, I'd have to use the Mountain Dew bottle in my backpack. Since I've ruled out traveling the road, I have no use for the moped so I'd drain the fuel tank in to the container/Mt. Dew bottle. Ideally, I'd find a glass beer bottle laying around and create a molotov cocktail. If I can't find glass, plastic would have to suffice.

This was a very good idea from you, and scored you a sufficient amount of creativity as well as logic points. You clearly thought about the situation in detail and I can tell you weren't just pulling ideas out of your rear end. Whether or not you had a mountain dew bottle or not would be down to luck and personality. I never stated you did but as with the other contestants there is some leeway to take into account yourself and how you would be. One thing I was confused about was how you would light the cocktail. It is possible you had a lighter but it is just as possible you don't.

Once I had drained all the fuel (or as much as I needed to fill my container), I would ditch the moped approximately 30 seconds towards the Shed/Tool Hut (to lead the killer in the wrong direction) and then double back and head for the river.

A good use of logic here. You don't use too much time moving the moped and it seems like an intelligent idea.

Once I reach the river, I'd toss an empty pack of smokes downstream and the promptly start walking upstream, in the water along the riverbank. There are two reasons for this. 1 is that staying in the water makes a person much more difficult to track, 2 is that walking along the bank provides some cover from the trees lining the river.

I don't see what the smokes had to do with it, but still, you made a logical decision to make yourself harder to track.

Now if I am understanding the lay of the land correctly, the road and the river are perpendicular to each other so at some point they would intersect each other. For the road to go over the river, there would need to be a bridge. Since this is in the middle of dense forest, it's likely the bridge would be made of wood and not concrete and steel like bridges in more populated areas. I'd then cross the river, climb the bank and use my container of fuel to torch the wooden bridge. I'd then proceed to haul ass down the road, confident that he can't be approaching me from behind in his car. (For the record if the killer were to catch up to me before this point, the molotav cocktail would serve as my only line of defense and be chucked right in front of him, setting the forest ablaze while I haul ass in the opposite direction.) But for the sake of my plan, I'm going to assume he hasn't caught up to me yet and torch the wooden bridge.

This was a very intelligent decision which gave you points in all three areas. You used logic and perception to consider the bridge and even what it would be made out of and how that could help you. You also have the cocktail as a backup plan in case all goes wrong.

As I run down the road, away from the Gas Station, Quarry and burning bridge I'd keep an eye out for any vehicles parked on the side of the road. If I happen to stumble across his car, the first thing I'd try to do would be hotwire it. If that didn't work, I'd search it for any stashed weapons and then let the air out of all of his tires and remove all his spark plugs. Then I'd continue running down the road. While I'm running down the road, I stick close to the edges, not down the middle in plain sight like a sitting duck. I'd keep moving until I came across oncoming traffic, which I'd flag down and get help from or until I hit the next local business. It could be miles, but with all the obstacles I've placed in his way (diversions to throw him off my trail, burning bridges to prohibit him from following in his car, possibly disabled vehicle if I found his car on the side of the bridge that I am currently on) I feel confident that I could make it out alive.

A good idea about the car. You chose to state your back up plan intelligently and back up choices. Logic and creativity.

Throughout you made many intelligent choices to throw the killer off your trail and then to hinder him if he did pick up on you. You had back up plans and insurance policies. There were some assumptions in there but they were necessary as when you're in that situation you don't know everything and so you do have to make a plan for what is only a possible situation. You scored as follows.

Logic: 5
Perception: 4
Creativity: 4

Total: 13/15 A very good mark.

Now, let's see your fate.


The killer is hot on your trail when you come across the moped. You act fast and spare no time constructing your cocktail. You have to empty the mountain dew bottle and refill it which does use up some time but before long it's ready. You take another 30 seconds moving the moped along the path. Whilst pushing it over the bumps of the forest you leave some tracks which show a struggle pushing something up the hill. You promptly run away.

The madman arrives on the scene and sees the moped. There is liquid all over the floor and he is confused. He smiles and heads towards the shed, but after seeing no other signs of any movement, he guesses what you may have done and runs back.

You throw the smokes into the river and walk through it. It takes quite a while and the water is running against you. After a good minute and a half you reach the nearby bridge. You torch it completely with your molotov. The lighter you had has little fuel in it and takes some time to light.

The killer, now quite close, sees the flames up ahead and puts two and two together. He glares and pulls out his phone. He calls his wife and tells her to get in the car and wait quietly near the road.

You walk along the side of the road and everything seems to be fine. The killer is nowhere to be seen. Eventually, a car appears along the road. You try to flag it down but due to your filthy condition and the flames up ahead it merely reverses and heads back up the road. However, in the short amount of time it went passed you, you see the headlights of a car pulling out of the woods. You make a decision to stick within the trees and not flag down anymore cars as it only exposes you.

You Survive.



I would normally judge the other two pieces now, but this took a lot longer than previously expected and it's getting late. For the risk that it may make my judging ability slip and I am not fair to the other contestants, they will receive their judging tomorrow.

[bwind22]

Thanks for the critique.

Just for reference, I smoke, so I always have a lighter handy. And I drink 3-4 Mt. Dew's a day so I wouldn't head in to the forest without one. I threw the pack of smokes downstream, then walked upstream in hopes the pack of smokes would lead the killer downstream thinking that's where I went. ;o)

[The Gate Master]

Originally Posted by scouse mac

If the owner of a valuable vase was a violent murderer, I wouldnt steal it!

But since I have the first thing I would do is drop the vase. If its heavy and cumbersome then it will slow me down and with a killer on my tail there is no point carrying it. Id much rather live poor then get shot full of holes.

A logical move with two benefits.

I think the key to survival is to travel light and fast so the moped can stay behind with the vase.

Once again, logical. You made a good decision here.

I would run in the direction of the stream and run through it downstream, although I would ensure a footprint was left in the mud pointing upstream. My thinking here is that going upstream will lead back into the hills and downstream is always to civilisation and that no trail would be left behind me. I would avoid all the local points of interest as these are going to be obvious
choices for the killer to pick up a lost trail.

A very good use of knowledge. You through the killer off track and made a smart decision to head towards civilization. You picked up Logic and perception points here. However, if the stream has no bends in it there is always the chance you will be seen.

Should the stream meet the road, extreme caution would be used, using all available cover. At no point would I attempt to stop a car because, if the killer has people he could contact and a car available, there is no guarantee they wont have a connection. Avoid all contact with people and keep on running. Eventually, I would come to civilisation and hope he hasnt caught up with me

Nothing I haven't said before. A logical move which would have been beneficial to you.

If he believes the vase is precious then hopefully he would have found it and gone home(doubtful) but if he has to carry it he would be slowed. Also, no matter how good a tracker and speedy, hes carrying alot of equipment (weight) and would have to cover alot of ground to ensure I never deviate from my track. My straight line speed should easily outpace his.

You garnered perception and logical points here. The dumping of the vase was a both a clever bid for mercy and a strategic move to hinder your tracker. You thought about his situation and made a smart move based on it.

Your aim was simple and you didn't waste too much time going for it. Your plan wasn't too elaborate and so there were less things that might fail. It wasn't very creative but was logical and you clearly thought about the landscape. A very well done piece.

Creativity: 3
Logic: 4
Perception: 4

Total mark: 11 It was a very good piece and you should not worry too much about the mark. The main reason you faltered was you weren't very creative in your moves. It's a difficult thing to balance logic and creativity but I felt it could have been done better. A bit more detail would have been useful as well.

Now, as for your fate.

You waste no time in dumping the vase and running. You give the tracker no extra time to gain lots of ground on you and you run straight to the river, leave several footprints going up stream then step into the water and wade like crazy to get away.

The killer, five minutes behind, follows your tracks and finds the vase, which he picks up and stores in his already quite full backpack. To fit it in, he has to sacrifice one of two small knives on the ground. After spending time making sure the vase is safe and not going to break he follows again, looking at the river. He sees the tracks going up stream and follows at pace by the side of the river.

You keep heading down the stream, being very wary not to be seen. You keep low and use the direction of the water to help your speed. You spend a long time going through the water but eventually you see lights ahead and run towards them.

The killer, meanwhile, has his wife waiting by the side of the road and is searching the quarry, trying to find you. Due to his wife being out in the car, you are lucky in that when you passed his house which would have been built near the stream, there is nobody there.

You eventually reach a small town and find a phone. You call a friend for help and they come and pick you up. The killer, now with the vase, calls off the search and returns home.

You survive.

[The Gate Master]

Originally Posted by Papillon Noir

I'm not going to get away from this heavily equipped guy without incapacitating him because I'm unarmed and he is just too close behind me. Five minutes a not a lot of time and it seems like he would chase me no matter what. I don't have time to set up a trap yet, so I'm going to have to bide myself some time.

A good judgement of the situation which picked you up perception points. You made a decision for what your course of action should entail. Going against a violent killer isn't necessarily logical but that is only the initial idea. How you carry out the plan may be very logical.

The first thing I need to do is ditch the vase. I can come back for it later and right now it's just slowing me down and it could get broken. With all the large branches and pine needles on the ground, I can very easily hide the backpack with the vase in it, off to the side. I can then drag the moped towards the hill to make it appear that I tried to ride it up the hill to the road, but realized it was futile and ditched it. I can then come back to where I started and shimmy up a tree before the guy comes into view. With all the pine needles on the ground, it will be hard to track my footprints and with him being so close behind, there's a real good chance that he'll run right past the tree and towards the road, especially with my ditched moped visibly in that direction.

A good perception of the situation. You examined your surroundings and decided to ditch the vase. This could help you in two ways. If the killer finds it he may be more influenced to call of the search, and if he doesn't, you can always retrieve it later. You didn't pick up points for the latter because it wasn't the focus of the task, but a smart move nevertheless. You also gained logic points for the use of the moped. Not so much the tree, because all he needs to do is look up and see you. But the use of the moped makes this less likely.

After he's safely out of sight and hearing range. I'll jump down from the tree and high-tail it over to the tool shed. After I kick in the door I need to work quickly as he may have heard me, but that's okay since I want him to come back this way now. Every tool shed has a pick-axe or rake or something pointy that you use to till and I am going to use that to booby trap the door. I'm also assuming that there will be some rope, though if there isn't I could use part of my clothing if necessary.

If he did hear you, you sacrificed some time but you made a good judgement call on the shed and set a course of action that would get the killer out of your way for good. Perception points gained.

So, I'm going to rig a trap where the pick-axe will swing down from above the door frame when the shed door is opened, the pointy end going into his face/neck and hopefully killing him. I'm going to grab some shears to take with me before setting the trap.

A bit more detail as to how you plan to set the trap would have been good, but it was still a logical move, and very creative.

After setting the trap, I'm going to close the shed door so that it's just cracked. Then I'm going to cut my hand with the shears and smear blood on the door frame and drip some blood on the ground. Then grab a nearby large branch, half-bury part of it then snap it in half and scream bloody-murder! I'll smear some more blood from my cut hand on the protruding broken branch, use part of my clothing as a bandage, and then run and climb a tree (careful not to get blood on the trunk), several yards away. I will carry the shears with me to use as a back-up weapon.

Once again, very creative. I think luring the killer into the shed is a good idea and the plan itself seems relatively easy to set up, and even if certain things go wrong, such as the branch making a noise before it's buried, it doesn't hinder the plan. You were also logical in your choice of taking a back up weapon.

The plan is that he will hear my scream (and hopefully the branch breaking), figure I got injured and come to finish me off. If he doesn't hear me, he will probably come this way eventually, figuring I may hide or look for a weapon here. When he approaches the shed he'll see the protruding bloody branch and a trail of blood going into the shed. Hopefully it will look like I injured my leg or something and dragged myself into the shed to nurse my wounds. He comes in after me, and eliminate himself. I can then take his car keys, retrieve my vase, locate his car, and drive away.

A good plan that doesn't require too much. It is easy to set up and likely to work. You thought about the location and the killers reaction to events. There are certain flaws in the plan but you perceive the situation well and you were both creative and logical.

If this plan fails, either he dodges the pick-axe or comes to shed but doesn't go in, I will be far away enough (but still elevated enough to see the shed) that I can quietly slink down the tree and run to the gas station. There, I can retrieve the gun and fill an empty gas can or two with gasoline. I can hold up there until he appears and if I am unsuccessful in shooting him, I can sneak out the back, run a trail of gasoline and light it on fire, blowing the gas station and hopefully him with it. Ideally, I will be able to kill him and not have his body explode to steal his keys (and car), otherwise I'll will have go back for the moped and drag it to the road to leave the area. At any rate, I will retrieve the vase to take with me.

I wasn't too impressed with the backup plan. Once the killer knows you set a trap, and he already knew you were in the area due to your scream, he would be unlikely to miss you drop down a tree and run to a gas station. Also, getting there means either traveling five miles down a road or even further through a difficult forest landscape. There is also the chance that the gas station owners are pally with the killer and even that he called ahead.

As for the stream, I don't see how that would help me. The quarry just seems too far away and a place to get cornered. Also, I don't know what kind of "animals" are there and they could be just as deadly as my stalker.

A good judgment of the area. Perception points gained.

So, that's my grand plan and I hope I survive! :D

A good, creative plan, which was more about eliminating the target than fleeing and hoping that he didn't find you. The actual trap seemed informed and intelligent, as the killer, with a shotgun, would be unlikely to fear the shed. However, there is always the chance he shoots through the door, fearing you have a weapon. In this case, the backup plan seemed likely to fail.

Creativity: 4
Logic: 3
Perception: 4

Total mark: 11 It was a good plan but it failed to fully excel. The backup plan wasn't very good and the decision to kill the killer would have got him out of your hair but the fact that he's trigger happy and has a shotgun makes it seem a bit hopeful.

Now, as for your fate.

You quickly cover the vase in branches and needles, then pull the moped up the hill. It's hard work but you manage it. You climb high up a tree and sit there as still as possible.

The killer arrives on the scene and runs straight past the tree to the moped, which he inspects. He pulls out his phone and calls his wife to come out in the car. Then, he crosses the road to have a look in the woods over there.

Once out of sight, you drop down from the tree and quietly run to the shed, kicking in the door. You set up a trap which involves the pickaxe. It takes a lot of time but eventually you get it right. You break the branch and use the sheers to cut yourself and set the blood, then climb up the tree.

The killer hears the distant sound of the shed door opening and calls his wife, telling her to make her way slowly along to road towards the shed. He hears the branch snap. He runs to the shed too, not taking too much time to arrive. The blood is very fresh and so he assumes that the injury was just sustained. He warily approaches the shed and fires the gun through the door. Weakened by the kick earlier, it swings open and the pickaxe swings down. Being suspicious, he jumps back and only receives a minor injury from the pickaxe. Angered, he starts firing randomly around,

You wait in fear up the tree, many shots coming close to you. Sticking to your plan, you carefully try to slink down the tree. He sees you and fires, but is out of shells. As he reloads, you jump at him with the shears, making a good shot. You fatally wound him and search him for his keys. You hurry back to where you left the vase and retrieve it. As you walk away, proud and confident, not worrying about the killer anymore, you are suddenly taken aback by the loud bang and pain in your back. You fall to the floor. The killers wife, with his shotgun, stands over you and finishes the job.

You die.

The reason you died was due to a series of small events that built up. By giving the killer the impression you took to the road, he called out his wife. She was ready in the car. Then, when he heard the noise, he called his wife, but told her to go slowly in case you tried to double back. Your plan to kill the killer with the pickaxe failed because of his wariness, but you did injure him, allowing him to kill you. You took his keys but not his gun, not thinking you would need it. His wife, who took her time, arrived and found her husband. She took the gun and ran through the woods, knowing you hadn't taken to the roads because she didn't see you. When she found you, you were confident, and so weren't quite as aware of your surroundings. However, it was a good plan, and would have worked if it wasn't for these small occurrences.

[neverending]

Aw poor Noir :(

[The Gate Master]

It was a shame, yes. I would not have expected anybody to think that far into it, after all, it was a plan you made whilst being chased by a madman. The main plan itself was very well thought out.

[scouse mac]

Originally Posted by The Gate Master

it was a plan you made whilst being chased by a madman.

Which is why I went for the plan I did, just give it toes away from him. The simpler it is, the less that can go wrong.

The more messing around, setting up traps and laying too many false trails, is time he could be catching up. Its unsubtle but I think just peggin' it is the best solution.

[Papillon Noir]

Yeah, the initial plan was from watching WAY too many horror movies and "The Most Dangerous Game" was immediately brought to mind. :P The back-up plan was a little shoddy, but that's because I didn't really expect to need it (and didn't). I didn't know to expect a gun-wielding wife, though. Had I known there would be accomplices, I probably would have been more careful and adjusted the plan accordingly. Still, I felt like I succeded since I killed the guy and got the vase, getting killed is just a minor detail. :p

[neverending]

Originally Posted by Papillon Noir

. Had I known there would be accomplices, I probably would have been more careful and adjusted the plan accordingly. :p

He does have people at home though.

.......................

[The Gate Master]

It is time for the third and final challenge of this round. This will test your creativity and logic and perception. There will be ten marks available in all criteria, so a lot rests on this. Now, let me tell you a little bit about James Daniels.

James was born on the 3rd of August 1970, making him currently 38. He was born in the small American town of Little Teaside to Anne and John Daniels. They lived in a three bedroom house. They gave birth to another child, Miles, on the 14th December 1976. The two brothers got on well.

At school, James was an average student, but was well known for his sense of humor. Most of the teachers liked him and he finished school with Cs and Bs. He had many friends, but his best friend was a boy who happened to be named Daniel James. They got on very well and regularly went around each others houses and played practical jokes. Their favorite film genre was Comedy, although Daniel was also into Horror.

James decided not to go to college, but Daniel did. James got a safe little job at a local tourist ride, a large bungee thrill ride. He made enough money that he bought a regular sized apartment in town. It was the 24th August 1991 that he met Judy. She had a go on the bungee seat and he was so attracted to her that they went out to dinner.

It turned out she was already seeing somebody, but she broke it off to be with James. Within a year she had moved in and they were in a very comfortable relationship. They decided not to have children until they were a bit older.

Now, back to Daniel. While he was at college, he made new friends, as did James. Eventually, the two stopped really contacting each other, apart from the odd funny email or Christmas cards. Daniel got a job as a computer technician in a city about two hours away from James. While he was there, he was miserable. He had a bad house, very few friends he got on with really well and he was just all around lonely. So, in February 1994 he came back to Little Teaside and approached James.

James and Judy had recently started renting a two bedroom house in a nice location. When Daniel came back, James couldn't say no. Daniel started living at the house where he remained until 1996. All three of them got on well and it was a fun time, but Daniel eventually got back on his feet and bought an apartment across town with his new girlfriend Caron. James and he remained friends.

James and Judy went on to have a daughter who they named Lucy on the 5th September 1999. They stayed in the town and lived in the same house. James' parents were still both alive and got on well with James and his new family. James was in a good job, now manager of the Red Lobster. Judy was working as a waitress at the same Red Lobster. Lucy went to the same school that James did and was getting good grades. James wasn't in any debt.
None of his family had any illness.

That is why the 2:46pm on the 4th of November 2005 was a strange day. James walked into the gas station where he had once worked and shot two customers and a cashier. He they casually walked out and drove away. He went to his daughters school at 3:00pm to pick her up as usual but the police arrived and arrested him.

This happened three times in three different worlds. Now, it is your job to explain why. What happened in his life to make him do this terrible crime? You can use as much of the information as you want, and you can create completely new events that happened in between the described ones. However, those written are fixed.

Be aware, if you use practically none of the above events you stand to lose out on creativity marks. As interesting as all the new events are, if you ignore the described events then you are not showing any ability to work with what you are given. Perceive events carefully and make sure that their effects and the actions of people are logical. A lot rests on this, for the person with the least total marks will be trapped forever in the solitude of limbo whilst the other two venture back to the world of the realms...

You have until Friday at 12:00pm EST to submit your answers both as a post in this thread and as a PM to me. Don't be late...